Here’s a quickie for Thanksgiving. It’s the five things I’m thankful for after the Dodgers’ 2017 season (Spoiler: Neither Kershaw nor Bellinger are included).
I’m also reviewing Tart Mango Cart from Golden Road Brewing. Thanks for watching, and enjoy Thanksgiving!
Oscar Martinez
I was born in the shadow of Dodger Stadium and immediately drenched in Dodger Blue. Chavez Ravine is my baseball cathedral, Vin Scully was the golden voice of summer all my life, and Tommy Lasorda remains the greatest Dodgers manager ever. My favorite things are coffee, beer, and the Dodgers beating the Giants. I also blog about my baseball card hobby at All Trade Bait, All the Time.
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“Quickie for Thanksgiving” …. ahem ….
Well I am thankful for the deep postseason, despite the outcome. And here’s Fangraph/Cameron’s top five (or bottom five) FA’s — meaning very risky FAs.
https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-2018-free-agent-landmines/
Personally I don’t agree with him except for Hosmer. I think Cameron is being very inconsistent here compared with his past picks and apparently he’s either missed the memo that starters are being paid a ton more of money these days due to overinflated and lazy WAR numbers for starters (which by the way Cameron had no problem with in 2015 and 2016), or he’s just not a very disciplined SABRmetrician. I say it’s both. I like Bill James and his generation – the current generation of SABRmetricians are lousy hacks. There I’ve said it.
Pitcher WAR? Piece of cake:
https://www.fangraphs.com/library/calculating-pitcher-war-a-complete-example/
Quality start should be more highly valued. And, in my opinion a QS should be 7 IP and 3 earned. 6 and 3 is a 4.5 ERA. I don’t anyone who considers a 4.5 ERA as quality. Since hardly anyone goes 7 any more a quality start would be very rare and therefore very valuable. At the very least it should be 6 IP and 2 earned.
More beer huh? Maybe we should call you Norm.
“Can I draw you a beer Norm?”
“No, I know what they look like, just pour me one.”
As much time off our starters get in a season, with the way the Dodgers use the ten day DL, they should be able to pitch at least six good innings, a game.
And if the starters do pitch six innings on an average, that will automatically put less stress on the relievers, in the bullpen.
Because the only starter I have seen at the end of the season, and in the post season that looked worn out, was Maeda in 2016, but that was more because Maeda was use to only pitching once a week, in Japan.
And although our relievers didn’t look as tired as they did, at the end of 2016 this year, they still looked more worn out then any of our starters did, so that work load needs to change, especially with the days off our starters get, from the ten day DL, throughout the season.
And the Dodgers should have no problem allowing Ohtani to be a two way player, like he wants to do, with the ten day DL.
And Bill James is no war lover, because it is a stat that just isn’t as in compassing, as it claims to be in rating player’s overall ability, or production.
But that is why you always need to look at more then just one number.
I agree that Hosmer is over rated, especially with the fact, he doesn’t play very good defense.
But I do like that he hits for an average, and makes decent contact.
But Cody will probably do that before he turns 25, because he is a much better athlete then Hosmer is.
Cool Review. I was taking my swigs of Blue Moon as you took your swigs of Mango Tango. I just bought a true Belgian Wheat Beer called Hoegaarden. Hopefully it was worth the price.
I want to to wish everyone at LADR a happy thanksgiving! Family, fun, and one step closer to spring training.
Cheers everyone!
Happy Thanksgiving!
I am thankful that our team don’t really need any of the big FAs on the market!
Back to both of you!
YF I am still hoping we get Ohtani, and I do think we have a chance.
After all, Friedman went all the way to Japan, and he took Orel with him, to see Ohtani.
And Darvish really enjoyed playing for the Dodgers, and we know Maeda will also put in a good word for the Dodgers too!
If you haven’t read this it’s my opinion you should.
https://sports.yahoo.com/giving-hall-fame-vote-joe-morgans-letter-144738128.html
Using Passan’s logic, everyone should be let in the HOF. I do not think that letting in players who took Peds the same as players who did not is fair. I call it cheating. Because you think some cheaters are already in the HOF, is not a good argument to let in more IMHO. The HOF is not just about stats. Let’s take Bonds, the so called HR champion. If he enhanced his body to be stronger, quicker or whatever, he would be cheating those who did not. That is not fair IMHO. This is the way society is going but that does not make it right. If Passan feels this way and won’t participate, then give his vote to someone who is more honorable.
Dodgers release Jose Miguel Fernandez. No big deal…..Package, Baseball has changed it’s rules many times. Up until the late 20’s spitballs were not illegal. Guys who primarily threw the spit ball, like Burleigh Grimes, were allowed to keep throwing it until they left the game. So those guys were not cheats per se. I also believe that PED users should not be in the Hall. Now, are there some players of questionable character in there? Yes. Ty Cobb was pretty much universally despised and it was said he used to sharpen his spikes so he would cut players as he slid into the base. He also had it said that he almost killed a man once. Leo Durocher was suspended because he was having an affair with Loraine Day, who was married at the time. Cheaters today, besides using PED’s, might have some Vaseline concealed somewhere, or scuff the ball. There are no real craftsmen left like Gaylord Perry. He was probably the best I have seen. But taking steroids and other PED’s is not only wrong, it can kill you. Now, players like Rose, and Shoeless Joe who were banned by the gambling rule, well, that is a different form a cheating and they obviously have been banned for life. I read a story by one moron writer who said Babe Ruth should not have been a HOFer because the guy drank so much beer. Dumb! I can’t remember the player, but I read about a catcher who sharpened his shin guards and would rub the ball on it making a cut and Whitey Ford could use that cut to make his curve almost unhittable.
I thought it was a well written article. His opinion is just that, an opinion. He doesn’t want to vote that’s his call, but I find that to be a cop out. You want to vote for them, vote for them.
Morality clause? Please. This should be about performance on the field. Amphetamines have been around for decades. Cheating has happened since Abner was a kid. Writers can use their own judgment and cast their vote using that judgment. I wouldn’t vote for the obvious users but I know some would. If the Hall is so concerned about it say so on a special plaque with a true story about how everyone in baseball, from the Commisioner down to the batboys knew it was going on but turned a blind eye – and did so deliberately because the fans loved all of it. We bought tickets like never before to watch the beefed up players hit home runs and throw the ball 100 miles per hour. Everyone was involved in the era. Those players that did this all did it with permission.